10 Best Summer Festivals in America: AthFest Makes the List

AthFest, Athens' summertime celebration of music and arts, has been named one of the top 10 festivals in the country by Livability.com.

It joins Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the Portland Rose Festival in Oregon on the list of community-oriented festivals celebrating the uniqueness of their communities. Like them, AthFest successfully engages and inspires local residents.

Here's what Livability said about AthFest:

AthFest, a five-day festival that began in 1997, celebrates the storied music and art scene in Athens. Festival organizers take pride in the fact that the festival is one of the largest music festivals showcasing only local talent. While most of the action takes place near large stages on Washington Street, several music venues participate in what is known as the club crawl, which allows patrons to flow in and out of approximately 20 clubs to catch a variety of artists. Meanwhile, local restaurants dish out some of the city’s most popular fare. AthFest proceeds benefit AthFest Educates!, a group dedicated to music and arts education. 

Here's the full list from Livability:

Top 10 Summer Festivals 2013

1. 1. Cheyenne Frontier Days - Cheyenne, WY
2. 2. Portland Rose Festival - Portland, OR
3. 3. Virginia Highlands Festival - Abingdon, VA
4. 4. AthFest Music & Arts Festival - Athens, GA
5. 5. Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts - State College, PA
6. 6. CMA Music Festival - Nashville, TN
7. 7. Mudbug Madness Festival - Shreveport, LA
8. 8.  Strolling of the Heifers - Brattleboro, VT
9. 9.  Papillion Days - Papillion, NE
10. 10. Sweet Pea Festival - Bozeman, MT